Aquatic substance such as algae has nowadays become popular sources of biomass energy, food, feed, and medicines, because the aquatic substance grows rapidly and absorbs carbon dioxide to achieve carbon fixation. After photosynthesis, algae can store energy in the form of protein, carbohydrate or oil and fat. Algae and fungi are rich in health care constituents such as β-carotene, chlorophyll, linolenic acid, phycocyanin, vitamins, and carbohydrate and have desirable effects in terms of medical care and health care. However, before constituents in algae and fungi are eaten, extracted, and hydrolyzed, the cell structures of algae and fungi usually need to be damaged to increase an absorption rate, an extraction rate or a hydrolysis rate.
Existing methods of damaging a cell structure are analyzed by using the following technical patent documents.
1. TW542699
Approach: A gas having a pressure between 2 kg/cm2 and 10 kg/cm2 and a temperature between 100° C. to 150° C. is used to enable water molecules inside a cell to reach a liquid-vapor critical point and produce an instantaneous pressure drop to enable gasification of water molecules inside the cell to break a cell wall.
Disadvantages: Use of a high temperature process and high energy consumption; easy damage and decomposition of active constituents contained in a cell at a high temperature; and occurrence of explosive noise in the process.
2. U.S. Pat. No. 7,763,724
Approach: Under conditions of a liquid pressure between 500 MPa and 1000 MPa and a temperature between 60° C. and 80° C., the cell structures of aquatic algae are liquefied to produce glucose.
Disadvantage: The operating condition is an ultra high pressure above 500 MPa, and therefore equipment with a thick and heavy pressure-bearing structure is required for processing; the equipment has high building and maintenance cost, making it difficult for scaled-up use of the process for commercial operation.
Based on the analysis above, it is necessary to provide a method of damaging cell structure of an aquatic substance, so as to solve the foregoing deficiencies in the prior art.